Boogity Boogity Boogity, Amen

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Today’s Blog Post


Boogity Boogity Boogity, Amen

Some of you that read this Blog and pop in from time to time are church goers. I am not sure how this post will affect you. It could make some grin and others groan deeply… even grieve.

For non church goers it may well light your fire – or a fire in you.

I grinned when I listened and watch this one.

Pastor Joe Nelms is a Baptist preacher known for his work with Nashville’s Family Baptist Church. He won nation-wide attention in July, 2011 for a unique pre-race prayer he gave before the NASCAR Nationwide Federated Auto Parts 300.

Here is what Pastor Joe prayed…
"Heavenly father, we thank you tonight for all your blessings, you said and in all things give thanks. So we want to thank you tonight for these mighty machines that you brought before us. Thank you for the Dodges and the Toyotas. Thank you for the Fords. And most of all we thank you for Roush and Yates partnering to give us the power that we see before us tonight. Thank you for GM performance technology and RO7 engines. Thank you for Sunoco racing fuel and Goodyear tires that bring performance and power to the track. Lord, I want to thank you for my smoking' hot wife tonight, Lisa. And my two children, Eli and Emma or as we like to call 'em, the little Es. Lord, I pray you bless the drivers and use them tonight. May they put on a performance worthy of this great track. In Jesus name, boogity boogity boogity, Amen."

Now some minister friends of mine are downright upset about this one. The irreverence is too much for them to handle. They are reacting like some of the folk sitting in the pew that come all dressed up Sunday morning and would never have anything to do with those low lifes at a Race Car Track.

You can hear the “Humphing’ and “Nst, nst, nst, nst” shaking their head from their pew.
Personally the ministers are a little nonplussed that they couldn’t get up there and pray for that crowd. I am sure that there is a jealousy. But they really are so Holy that they wouldn’t get jealous at anything – just disturbed by the fact that the guy said he had a “smoking hot wife”.

But Pastor Joe got down and got dirty. He became one of them. He knows their language and he knows them. That is likely why he was asked to be there.

Now for me to refer to my wife as “smoking hot” in my prayer would push her over the edge… a little to say the least. Yet that is the way that I see and Paul said to give thanks in all things. So… Alida is smoking hot, Yeah God.

In our youngest daughter’s family there are four sons. This is one very active group of guys that love fun. They are moving all the time.

Further background to my story, we have been taught to pray before we eat our meals and give God thanks for what we about to eat. It is a “Christian Thing” to do – for some Christians that is. I in turn taught my daughters how to pray as well.

But in 2011 and in a family with four hungry boys, plus the logistics of just serving each one enough food and then telling them to wait until all have been served… and we have prayed… doesn’t always work. This family prays yes… but not always in the order that the Christian Text Book – written by good Christians – suggest.

Not long ago a dear friend of ours stopped by for a meal with this growing family. Food was served and every one was chowing down on the great plate filled with food.

They had forgotten to pray and the dear friend was suggesting that they needed to pray first. Every one stopped and looked at the suggestion. Thomas, the number two boy, stated, “Oh, oh we are going to fail this one. We don’t do that very often!”

My daughter nearly died at his comments. The dear Christian friend didn’t need to hear that. Gulp.

On hearing that I laughed. The boys were listening to their Grandpa Lincoln now. They know that I am, in all things religious, the Supreme Commander, as the resident minister of the family.

“Guys when you have to pray here is what you can say… ‘Rubbadub dub, thanks for the grub, Yeah God!’ ” To which they all laughed long and hard.

Oddly enough not long after that we were out together for a meal with this growing family. The food was about to arrive so they decided to pray. And Thomas had volunteered to be the pray-er!

His prayer was great as he thought of the words carefully. Then at the end he looked up at me and said – along with his brothers, “Rubbadub dub, thanks for the grub, Yeah God!” We all laughed.

I can’t wait until the dear friend of ours visits again.

Irreligious prayers? Is there such a thing with God? Does God care how perfect I speak to him? Does he want me to get it “Theologically correct” every time? If so – which Theology will I use? One is right and the other is wrong.

I don’t totally agree with everything that the Southern Baptists preach… and they don’t particularly dig me. But I liked Pastor Joe Nelms’ down to earth prayer! And so did the thousands upon thousands of the people at the race track!!

And when you look at the YouTube video, which you should, look at the numbers of people that have viewed it… as of right now 1,557,937 have clicked on this. That is since July 2011.

I dare say that the last time I prayed, not nearly so many people heard what I said. God did. And that was about the middle of July.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Resource:
Pastor Joe Nelms – on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J74y88YuSJ8
Pastor Joe Nelms – article with Text of Prayer
http://www.zimbio.com/Pastor+Joe+Nelms/articles/5SQPzrDqPO6/Nascar+Pastor+Joe+Nelms+Pre+Race+Prayer+Full